Lamka, April 03: The inter-ministerial central team deputed for a 'quick assessment of the immediate relief needs of the Mautaam affected area' today practically rubs shoulder with the people devastated by it and listen to their accounts.

Visiting more than a dozen interior villages, dependent mainly on jhum the team confides that Mautam or rat menace has indeed really affected the crops, and in many places where they interviewed the farmers it is amply clear that more than 50% of the crop were damaged.

In most of the cases, farmers have to either save their meagre harvest or purchased paddy from the market even for sowing.

Women folk, who were interviewed most by the team also confessed their concern as rats were still prevalent in their unsoiled jhum fields.

The team while interacting with the media commented on the effectiveness of the new employment programme NREGS, yet most of the farmers sustaining with a subsistence level of income, according to Pankaj Kumar the team leader they need assistance atleast before their next harvest.

Upon enquiring what difference would the central team bring about, 'we hope that the visit will result in a kind of package, a relief package for the people of the district and we will provide them some sustenance till the next crop is harvested,' he said adding, 'we certainly would like to expedite it as much as we can' so that any form of relief reaches the people before the onset of monsoon.

Pandey nevertheless claimed that his team was still in the process of determining the magnitude of devastation in the state of Manipur and therefore it would be premature to say how much assistance would be needed to sustain the farmers until their next harvest.

Apart from the minor variations, the central team has maintain that the basic nature of the problem in Mizoram were similar to that of the state.

A prominent Church body the Evangelical Baptist Convention, which has set aside Rs.7 lakhs for relief fund in 2008-2009 and had already exhaust another 20 lakhs in the preceding years, PCI (R), MPC, Civil Pensioners and numerous other civil societies have also presented memoranda to the visiting central team today.

The inter-ministerial team would further access the situation in other district affected by Mautaam tomorrow.

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